Transmission



2 Shees-Sheet l 5-H. WM M 25L.

b 0 WW E H E Inv 11M E n n. n A

[31a den War G. M. BARNES El AL TRANSMISSION Filed Sept. 24, 1934 Aug. 3, 193 7.

Aug 3, 1937. M, BARNES ET AL 2,088,581

TRANSMISSION Filed Sept. 24, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventors Mfiarnes .Prestcm Gladeun .WarrenE my Attmr-ne Patented Aug. 3, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,088,581 TRANSMISSION Gladeon M. Barnes, United States Army, Hastings, Mich., Md.

Application September 3 Claims.

andWarren E.

Preston, Aberdeen,

24, 1934, Serial No. 745,308

(Granted under the act of March a, 1883, as

amended April 30,

The invention factured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

The subject of this invention is a transmission and is intended more especially for use where an automatic shift of gears is desired.

The main object of the invention is the production of a speed operated gear shift.

This object is attained by the provision of speed responsive devices brought into engagement with the gears when the shaft has attained a predetermined speed to lock the gears to the shaft. More specifically the object is at- 15 tained by the use of centrifugally actuated weights adapted to engage the gears and lock them to the shaft.

With the foregoing and such other objects in view as may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction described and claimed, it being understood however that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed 25 without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A practical embodiment of the invention is: illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- 30 Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a transmission.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, part broken away.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference:

There is provided a shaft l which may be connected through the usual clutch mechanism with the engine, not shown. Preferably integral with with a gear a countershaft 4. The shaft l is sup- 5, while the countershaft 4 Also keyed to 3 keyed to ported in bearing is journaled in bearings 6 and I. the shaft 4 and spaced from the gear 3, is an element 8 of an overrunning clutch having rollers 9 and an element l0 upon. which gear teeth H are formed. Splined on the shaft 4 is a gear l2 which is formed to be shifted by the usual 50 shifting lever, not shown.

In axial alignment with the shaft l is a shaft l3 journaled at one end in a roller bearing l4 carried in the gear 2 and, adjacent to the other end, in bearing Splined on the shaft l3, adjacent to the gear described herein may be manu- 2, is a clutch support l6 having pivotally mounted thereon centrifugally operated weights l'l formed with faces I8 adapted to engage the face is provided on the gear 2, and also with teeth 20 to engage teeth Zl formed on gear 2. A coiled spring 22 is interposed between the support it and an adjustable collar 23 threaded on theshaft I3 for the purpose of adjusting the tension of the springs and varying the pressure exerted by the faces l8 on the face l9.

Rotatable on the shaft l3 and spaced from the support Iii is a gear 24 which meshes with the gear teeth I l on theover-running clutch element l0. Splined on the shaft l3 adjacent to the gear 24 is a support 25 having pivoted thereto the centrifugally actuated weights2fi provided with faces 21 adapted to contact the face 28 of the gear 24 and with teeth 29 adapted to engage the teeth so of the gear 24 when the weights are thrown by centrifugal force. ,A coiled spring 3! is interposed between the support and a collar 32 threaded on the shaft and adjustable to tension the spring below the tension of the spring 22 so that the gear 24 will be clutched to the shaft at a lower speed than that necessary to clutch the gear 2 to the shaft Fast on the shaft I3 is an element 33 of an overrunning clutch, another element of which is a gear 34 and interposed between these elements are the rollers 35. The gear 34 meshes with the gear l2 splined on the shaft 4 and this gearing constitutes the first or low speed. Fast on the shaft 13 adjacent to the gear 34 is a gear 36 in mesh with a usual idler 31 adapted to mesh with the gear l2 when the same is thrown to its rearward position. This train of gears constitutes the reverse drive.

The transmission may be enclosed in the usual transmission housing 38.

The operation of the device is as follows: When starting the gear i2 is in mesh with the gear 34 and the drive is through shaft l, gear 2, gear 3, shaft 4, gear l2, gear 34 and shaft l3. When shaft l3 has attained a predetermined speed of rotation, the weights 26 will have been thrown out sufficiently to cause the faces 21 of the weights 26 to .contact the face 28 of the gear24 and cause the two to rotate in unison. Further extension of the weights will cause their teeth 29 to engage the teeth 30 of the gear 24 so as to lock the parts together. During this period the shaft I3 will be rotating faster than if the drive were through the shaft 4, gear l2 and gear 34 and as a consequence the overrunning s parts and the parts connected thereto named gear from the countershaft.

clutch of which the gear 34 is an element will low speed drive, and means for driving said last ke it in position to impart no motion to the shaft I 3. 2. In apower transmission device, a drive shaft,- Should greater speed be imparted to the shaft a driven shaft coaxial with the drive shaft, a 4 and through it to shaft IS, the weights I 1 of countershaft, gearing between the drive shaft the other clutch will be extended, to such an eX- and coun'tershaft, a first support splined on the two into unison when the teeth 20 will engage driving engagement with the gearing of the drive the teeth 2! 0f the gear 2 thus locking the sha ts shaft in response to speed of the driven shaft l and I3 together. 'Ihe, overrunning clutch to provide a direct drive, a gear free on the il in m into p to allow the ar driven shaft adjacent the first support, means and o u on the countershaft and including an overrunning eVe 8? the usual type needs T10 clutch for driving the free gear on the driven scription. shaft, 2; second support splined on the driven We claim:

means for driving the driven shaft at low speed 20 the driven shaft adjacent the second support GLADEON BARNES" and including an overrunning clutch to provide a WARREN PRESTON l 

